


STARKER, by Peter B. Parker

by preciouspeterbparker, Spidey_Sins



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Consensual Underage Sex, Domestic Boyfriends, Domestic Fluff, Dubious use of Stark tech, EDITH Glasses (Marvel), Family Feels, Family Reunions, First Time, Fix-It, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, He's a little over 17 (which is the age of consent), Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kind of-, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene, Resurrection, SHIELD, Smut, Underage Peter Parker, Underage Sex, but still, could be considered spoilery so read at your own risk, friday - Freeform, handwavey technology, inspired by WandaVision
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:20:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29401140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preciouspeterbparker/pseuds/preciouspeterbparker, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spidey_Sins/pseuds/Spidey_Sins
Summary: After Peter’s identity has been compromised, he runs to the only place he can think of, as memory-filled it may be. He may be alone, but the loneliness was something he’d worked on becoming accustomed to. And it was something he could fix, given the right technology.Lucky for him, that tech fit right in the palm of his hand.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 21
Kudos: 63





	1. Fix-It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: SO excited to finally share this with everyone!! It started as a WandaVision-fueled concept and turned into a whole ass fic. We’re absolutely obsessed and we hope you guys love it as much as we’re loving writing it!!
> 
> The plan is to update weekly on Saturdays. 
> 
> <3 bloo and bri

Peter’s eyes were wide as he crouched on top of the lamp post and stared at the screen, stunned. This couldn’t be happening. Not here, not now. 

It had to have been an illusion. It wasn’t real. Right? 

His brain was racing, thoughts moving too quickly to keep up with what was going on. 

His name was said. His real name. The name ‘Peter Parker’ didn’t just belong to a nobody anymore. 

It belonged to Spider-Man. 

Which meant it belonged to the public. The public who blindly believed that he was a murderer. 

His body moved before he could think about what he was doing, swinging over the crowds that stared at him in shock. He ignored the sound of MJ calling his name from below, desperate to get away. And it would be better for her if she wasn’t associated with him. She’d be safe if people didn’t know. 

People yelled, their voices coupled with the sounds of the city pushing him towards overstimulation. They were angry, throwing things in an attempt to knock him down. But nothing got high enough. He stayed well above everyone, breathing heavily. He felt like he was going to pass out.

His eyes flitted around, glancing at all the buildings around him, all the possible routes, without really focusing on any of them. Where was he going? He couldn’t go home; there was no way he could face May. It was guaranteed that she’d seen the clip already and he didn’t want her to be super worried about him. He couldn’t do that to her. Not when things had finally started looking up for her, not when she finally seemed truly happy again.

Ned’s house wasn’t an option either. His best friend’s parents had a shaky opinion of Spider-Man last time he’d heard and he didn’t want his entire friendship to fall apart there. 

He definitely couldn’t involve Michelle in this. They had pretty much moved on from their ill-fated attempt at romance that ended when she couldn’t deal with the nightmares he still had, but he wasn’t over it enough for that to be a viable option. 

His brain screamed one name but his heart ached over the mere thought. He could only imagine one way for this to be okay, for him to ever feel truly okay again. It wasn’t even a possibility anymore and he knew it. But that didn’t make the pain any less excruciating.

No matter how much he wanted it to happen, Tony couldn’t save him from this. 

The reality tugged at his heart and stole the breath from his lungs. He had to pause on top of a building, perched on the ledge so he could easily take off again if he needed to. 

It had been almost nine months since the man had died. Since he’d saved everyone else and sacrificed himself. But it still hurt Peter like the wound was fresh.

He knew that the move had to be made. Someone had to do it. 

But god, he wished he had been the one to take the fall. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t regret not getting the gauntlet from Mr. Stark before he snapped. 

Maybe his motives were purely selfish. Because any time he considered the idea, it wasn’t for the good of everyone else. 

He just didn’t like living in a world without Tony Stark.

Peter heard someone opening the door that led to the rooftop and he bolted again, not needing to be caught. But he still needed to figure out his destination. 

Then it clicked. A real possibility. Even though he’d have to do more than swing to get there. 

The compound upstate. 

It was almost completely in ruins when he’d last seen it, destroyed by Thanos and his army. And it wasn’t likely it was too much better since the person funding it….

Well, he couldn’t be in charge of the upkeep anymore. Peter didn’t even like thinking about that part of it. 

But he’d be able to hide there for a while, at least. Completely unbothered. There weren’t too many people that knew about the exact location or how to get there. So he’d be safe while everything cooled down. 

He could use some time alone anyways. 

In order to get there, he’d need to drive. But he didn’t exactly have access to a car. And it was highly unlikely he’d be able to get an Uber while everyone thought he was a murderer. 

There was one person he knew he could trust. Although Peter wasn’t sure he wanted to pull him into everything. 

But he really did need a ride. He had to get out of the city. There was no other option.

“Karen? Can you call Happy for me?” 

_ “Of course, Peter.” _

There was a dialing noise for a few seconds before the call picked up. 

“Peter? Where are you?” Happy was as harsh as ever as soon as he picked up. 

Peter swallowed down the lump in his throat. “I need a favor. Please, I need a ride to get out of town. I can’t deal with all of this. Please.” His voice cracked pitifully on the last word. 

A moment of silence before a heavy sigh crackled through the speakers in his mask, the sharp sound making him wince. “May wants you to come home. She’s kind of freaking out here, she just saw the news.”

Peter chewed his lip, his eyes dropping to the crowds in the street below. They were all watching him, phones trained on his every move. The feeling of their eyes on him made his skin crawl. “I can’t. Tell her I’m sorry, but I can’t go home. Not right now. Not yet.” 

Happy didn’t say anything for a minute, but Peter could hear May’s frantic plea in the background. He felt horrible. But he couldn’t go back. Nearly everyone in the whole city was against him. He couldn’t deal with that. And he didn’t want May to have to figure everything out for him. 

Finally the other man spoke again. “I can’t help you. It’s not that I don’t understand, it’s the principle. I’m not helping you run away.”

“I’m not-“

“You are. It doesn’t matter the circumstance. You’re running away. And I’m not going to be a part of it. Just come home, Peter,” Happy told him, his voice gentler then the young man had ever heard it. 

“Karen, end call.” In a brief moment of anger, Peter hung up. He knew Happy and May were right. But he just couldn’t go home. He was already sick of being leered at and the broadcast had just gone live. It would only get worse. 

And he still didn’t have a ride. 

A heavy sigh left him, the sound accurately conveying his sheer exhaustion. 

The directions to the compound were something he knew well, he’d probably be able to instruct someone there in his sleep. That wasn’t the issue. It was just so far and without a ride it would take forever. 

Maybe a run would do him good. A very,  _ very _ long run. 

***

He’d made an extremely brief stop before leaving the city, buying a set of civilian clothes (even though that didn’t matter, where he was going), a small backpack to hold everything, and enough food for approximately two weeks. It wasn’t the most nutritious stuff, but it was something he could survive on until he felt safe enough to go back home.

After that, it took a few hours for him to finally reach the compound site, but at least he hadn’t been spotted. Most of his escape had been through woods, so despite the fact that he was now an extremely recognizable face, no one saw him. Or tried to come after him, at least. 

The sun had set, only the barest bit of orange still hanging above the horizon as he walked up to the damaged building. At least it wasn’t quite as bad as he’d remembered. 

It was completely destroyed in some places, while others were just crumbling. It seemed like someone had tried to fix bits and pieces, but eventually just gave up. No longer was it the beautiful campus that Tony created. But it would do for what he needed. 

Peter headed to one of the more intact areas, breathing heavily as he finally was able to relax. No more running to try and get to his destination as fast as possible. He was there and he could finally calm down. 

No one else was within miles of the place. He was safe. 

But it was so lonely. That was par for the course, though, he supposed. He’d been feeling lonely for a while now, despite the best attempts of those around him.

He decided to settle down in one of the old training rooms. It was probably one of only spaces still mostly together. The roof hadn’t been displaced at all, the walls only had the slightest bit of charring. The space was huge, but a lot of it was taken up by pieces of furniture and equipment. At least it didn’t feel extremely empty. 

He sat on the ground, eyes slipping shut as he leaned his head against the wall. It was almost nice to be able to just sit and not be worried about being caught. 

Almost. 

The silence screamed at him, amplifying his anxious thoughts and nearly suffocating him. 

Having someone to talk to would have been nice. But who was he supposed to talk to? He still felt bad about hanging up on Happy, so he wasn’t a choice and neither was May. Ned would probably make things worse, despite just wanting to help, so he couldn’t do that either. Thinking about MJ just made him feel guilty, so she was off limits too. 

No, if he was honest with himself, there was only one person he really wanted to talk to. 

The thought took him by surprise all over again, grief clenching around his heart like a vice grip. 

Tony would know what to do. He’d be able to easily get Peter out of the insane situation, fixing everything all up again and making it all right. He’d gotten himself out of plenty of messes, why would this be different? 

For just a moment, Peter smiled to himself as he imagined how Mr. Stark would have handled everything. None of it would have felt so grave. There would have been a joke or two made before he worked his magic and made Peter safe again. It would have been over and forgotten about before dinner. 

Then reality sunk in again, as it always did. 

Tony wasn’t there to help. He couldn’t be. Wouldn’t be ever again.

Peter didn’t like thinking about the fact that he was gone, but if he didn’t tell himself that it was true, that it had really happened, then he’d get hope again and fall apart. He didn’t have the luxury of falling apart when everything was already such a mess. 

As a distraction, he began sorting through the backpack he’d gotten, taking out every item and looking it over. Then he got to the front pocket and remembered the last thing he had tucked inside. 

Since getting them back, Peter didn’t go anywhere without the EDITH glasses. He’d made the mistake of giving them to someone else before, a mistake he was clearly going to keep paying for. He couldn’t let anyone else get a hold of them again. 

He slowly pulled them out, holding onto them for a moment and looking at them. His last gift from Tony. An extremely powerful gift that probably should have been given to someone else. But they weren’t. They were his, for better or worse. 

Their full capabilities hadn’t really been something he’d thought about. He didn’t know much of anything about them, really. He knew they had an AI that had absolutely no chill and could control drones, but that was about it. 

Peter hadn’t considered what the drones could actually do. The projections that Beck created had been intense and so real, it was hard to believe that he held the power to such a thing in his hands. 

If entire beings and monsters could be created, what else could they do? 

A sudden thought appeared, prodding at the grieving part of his brain. What were the limits of the projections? How much could they create? 

How real could the illusions get? 

Letting himself fantasize about possibilities was dangerous and he knew it. But just messing around with the technology wouldn’t be so bad, right? He was just going to familiarize himself with it some more. See what it was capable of. 

For the night, however, he needed to sleep. It had been an exhausting day and his eyelids were heavy. The floor wasn’t the most comfortable place ever, but it would do for the first night. 

He was asleep within minutes of laying down, dreams of bringing Tony back comforting him. Fantasy was dangerous, no matter how he tried to excuse it. 

But maybe it didn’t have to stay just a fantasy. 

***

Peter slowly slid the glasses on, breathing shakily. His stomach was churning anxiously. He was still reeling from yesterday’s events and what they meant for him. 

But at least now he had an idea, something to focus on, to keep him from getting trapped in a downward spiral.

_“Hello, Peter,”_ EDITH greeted, voice soothing as always. 

“Hey, um-“ he raked a hand through his hair. What was he doing? He didn’t have a plan. He had no idea what to ask, or how to ask it without sounding crazy. 

EDITH, as intuitive as they came, seemed to sense his pause. _“What do you need help with today, Peter?”_

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Swallowed down the lump in his throat. “So...you know how Be- how Mysterio used the drones?” It was probably awful phrasing given everything that had happened. But it was his only frame of reference for the tech’s use first-hand. “Can I do that? The...the pictures and all. Projections.”

_ “Yes, Peter. You have access to each of those systems. Would you like to call them here?”  _

He sucked in a harsh breath. That was something. Maybe… “I...yeah. Please.” He knew the vast majority of the drones had been destroyed in the battle on the bridge. But he was sure that, in true Tony Stark fashion, there were more out there somewhere. Mr. Stark was nothing if not prepared. 

Peter knew that the drones could create projections, illusions, elaborate scenes that were impossible to tell from reality. But he didn’t just want to  _ see _ . He wanted to feel, too. 

“EDITH? Can you run me through the programming you run on? Basics, advanced, everything in between.” He certainly had the time to go over it all. 

_ “Of course, Peter.” _

He had all the time in the world to figure things out, as far as he was concerned. And once he understood how the tech worked, he could bring his questionable plan to life. Piece of cake. 

***

As requested, EDITH filled him in on everything. Her own coding and controls, as well as the tech she was based on, BARF (the name never failed to force a hint of a smile to his lips). He had a pretty good understanding of how it worked, especially after watching a video of the presentation Tony gave at MIT. 

BARF allowed the wearer of the glasses to access their hippocampus and project their memories. Though Tony always maintained that the tech was intended to be therapeutic and assist in healing from past traumatic events, Beck had obviously allowed for the projection of whatever the wearer desired.

In this case, if it worked correctly, whatever Peter desired.

Since he wanted to be able to actually feel the illusion, he’d have to alter the programming to interact with other parts of his brain. Namely the parietal lobe, which was responsible for tactile sensory information. 

Shouldn’t be too hard.

***

Peter slipped the glasses on again. “Hi, EDITH,” he started, biting his lip. Was he really going to do this?

_ “Hello, Peter. What can I help you with?” _

“Run program: STARKER.” He’d slipped some of his own programming into her code in order to do what he wanted. No turning back now. He closed his eyes and prayed to whoever was listening that it worked. 

It had to work. 

He thought of the only place he wanted to be right now. The place where he’d always felt at home.

When he opened his eyes again, he watched as pixels began to overtake the room, going from the ground up as everything fell into place around him. In a passing thought, he noted that it was similar to watching the smooth ooze of the nanobots that made up his Iron Spider suit. Then suddenly he wasn’t in a bare, badly destroyed training room. He was in Tony’s penthouse at the tower. 

And he wasn’t the only one. The sight of his own illusion startled him, left him feeling disoriented. Illusion-Peter blinked at him blankly since he wasn’t thinking of anything in particular for him to do. It was...unsettling, looking at himself. Could he-

Closing his eyes again, Peter swallowed. He thought of his illusion, seeing things from his point of view- 

When he opened his eyes again, he could no longer see himself. Much better. Now he was still able to see, feel, and interact with everything in the illusion without having to watch it play out like a movie, the way Tony had in that video. It was just like real life.

He looked at his surroundings again. 

The window-wall in front of him looked out over the city, and the sun was shining brightly. To his left was a bar, and the elevator was to the right, sandwiched between two staircases, one of which went up and the other down. Peter’s eyes were wide as he slowly turned around, trying to take it all in. The amount of detail was incredible. He hadn’t realized how much of this place he remembered. The little conversation pit was there, complete with the semi-circle couch and the fireplace he’d seen in a photo spread years earlier. Everything screamed Tony, from the decor to the coffee and whiskey scented air. 

But despite the astonishing realism, it still felt so empty. The space felt wrong. Incomplete.

There was definitely something missing. Or someone. 

Peter chewed his lip, closing his eyes as he focused. Nervous energy was churning in his stomach. “Come on, EDITH,” he mumbled. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. This was it, the make it or break it moment. “Do your thing.” 

Everything was silent for a moment and Peter was worried that it hadn’t worked. His heart skipped a beat, thudding painfully in his chest. Maybe all the work he had put in meant nothing since it hadn’t originally been part of the program. 

But slowly the pixels started again, building a figure up seemingly out of nowhere until it formed a full person. 

The only person he wanted to see right now.

Tony blinked, a bit disoriented before he glanced over and saw Peter. He shot his signature cocky half-smile towards the young man. “Hey, kid. What did I miss?”

Peter let out a choked sound, a mix between a sob and a borderline-hysterical laugh. “Tony,” he rasped. 

And suddenly everything felt okay again.


	2. Friends to Lovers & First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: ok we may have gotten a little...carried away with this chapter. but writing this fic really is so much fun and we’re excited to hear what you guys think! 
> 
> \- bloo and bri

Tony was back. And it almost felt like he’d never been gone at all. 

Peter was beyond grateful that his plan had worked. Sure, it might've been a bit desperate and hair-brained, even for him, but he was pretty sure that the end justified the means.

He had spent the past nine months in a sort of fog, going through the motions because that's what he was supposed to do. It was what was expected of him. 

He knew that he had never properly grieved Tony, not really. He hadn't been able to handle it. And now he didn't have to. 

Peter felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Having Tony back was...indescribable. 

The older man had always felt like home. The two of them were able to connect on so many levels. They both understood the pressures of being a hero, of having such great responsibility. Both knew what it felt like to suffer great losses. There were hours spent in the lab, poring over suit designs and updates, their intellectual and innovative capacities always meshing seamlessly, never clashing. They got each other, plain and simple. 

But then he wavered between being content with his and Tony’s comfortable mentor/mentee relationship and doing what he really wanted to do: push things along so that he and Tony would finally be together, as two people that loved each other. Because he knew that deep down, Tony did love him, had always loved him in some capacity.

Peter had done a lot of thinking in the months after- Well, after. He’d always cared for Tony, and everyone knew about his crush and the hero-worship could be seen from the moon, but it wasn’t until the man was gone that he’d realized just how much he had truly come to _love_ him. It had eaten away at his insides, the knowledge that he’d found the person he was meant to be with and then immediately lost him. 

But Tony was back now. It was surreal.

And to be completely honest, Peter hadn’t even expected it to work, this whole thing; but he really shouldn’t have been surprised. Tony was a certified genius, of course EDITH was capable of creating such a complex illusion. And the teen thanked the universe that he was smart enough to understand the mechanics enough to alter them to fit his needs. 

He thought back to Happy’s words on the quinjet in the Netherlands. He had said that Tony only ended up doing...what he did...because he knew that Peter would be here. 

And here Peter was, doing...this. 

Thankfully, ~~this~~ Tony had no reason to question the situation or his behavior. So, because he’d made it this far, and because he was so fucking sick of having everything good taken away from him, Peter decided to run with it. 

For starters, in order to set the right tone, he decided that he wasn’t going to ever say the words “Mr. Stark” ever again. If he wanted to convince Tony that they were lovers, he needed to act like it himself. (And the title, though it was said with affection, always brought him back to feeling numb on that dusty planet, his arms wrapped around Tony’s neck before they disintegrated into nothing. Before _he_ disintegrated into nothing.) 

That also meant there was no need to hold himself back when it came to physical touch and affection. Tony had always been rather touchy-feely with him, and Peter now had the opportunity to initiate the contact himself. No over-thinking, no more being worried his advances would be met with rejection.

Tony’s voice startled him, pulling him out of his thoughts. "What'cha thinkin’ about, kid? Lost you for a minute there." The man was leaning against the counter of the bar, looking relaxed as ever, glass of scotch in hand. An easy smile curved his lips upwards and the shimmer in his eye was one Peter had seen a million times before.

The young man took a breath and looked down at his bare feet on the soft carpet of the living room, steeling himself where he sat on the couch. "Us." He cut his eyes upwards, making eye contact with the billionaire.

Tony simply raised a questioning eyebrow in response and Peter felt his heart lurch in his chest at the familiarity of that expression. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Peter decided to be brave and pushed himself up off the plush sofa. "I want there to be an us," he clarified, taking the two small stairs in stride and then making his way towards the older man. "I want us to be...together. I love you so much, Tony. And I- I think you love me, too." He stopped walking once he was about a foot away, biting his bottom lip. His hands were clasped in front of him. 

“Say something,” was his soft mumble when all Tony did was cock his head to the side slightly, eyes searching his face for something. Peter felt his face get hot after a moment and he suddenly felt completely foolish. God, was this not even realistic in an illusion created by his own brain-

“Hey,” Tony said, gently. “Look at me.” He sat his glass down and took a step away from the bar and into the boy’s personal space. “Why do you look so panicked?” One of his hands moved to cup Peter’s face, thumb caressing his cheekbone. “It’s just me.” His voice was soft and warm, and that combined with the fact that he was touching Peter made the young man let out a quiet whimper. 

“There’s no such thing as ‘just you’, Tony,” Peter replied, his own hand coming up to clutch at Tony’s wrist. It was warm under his fingertips. “You’re everything. You always have been.” 

Tony tilted his head down a bit, forcing Peter to tilt his up to maintain their eye contact. “And _you’ve_ always been everything to _me_ . You’ve gotta know that, kid. Pete. Tell me you know that.” When Peter just continued to blink up at him owlishly, he chuckled lightly. “I invented _time travel_ for you, baby. I couldn’t handle living in a world without you in it.” His voice had trailed off to barely a whisper by the time he finished. 

There was something deep and warm in Tony’s eyes. Pride, adoration, vulnerability. And it made Peter feel like he could do absolutely anything.

He knew he was rushing things but- He was in charge here, he really _could_ do whatever he wanted. So he opened his mouth again.

“Take me to bed, Tony,” Peter whispered, breath ghosting across against the older man’s lips. God, they hadn’t even _kissed_ yet and here he was begging to sleep with Tony.

Whose eyes were searching his face again, but Peter still didn’t know for what, exactly. “Pete...Are you sure you-”

He cut the other off, the words coming out without his permission. “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want this, as much as I want you.” Peter bit his lip after his interruption, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He hadn't really meant to be _that_ honest. “I love you, Tony,” he said, opening his eyes and making eye contact with the billionaire. “I want you.”

Something smoldered between them for a few seconds before-

“Then c’mere,” Tony rasped, pulling him close once more. He pressed a chaste kiss to the shorter man’s lips, followed by another soft peck, sighing as he pulled away. “I love you, Peter,” he mumbled before he licked his way into Peter's mouth.

Shivers shot up the younger man's spine at the sensation. He’d been kissed before, but it had never felt anything like this. Like fireworks, like everything was falling into place. A soft whine escaped him as one of Tony’s hands moved to hold the back of his neck, the other grabbing at his ass. “Tony,” he mewled. His own hands clutched the fabric of Tony’s t-shirt in an attempt to ground himself. 

A soft hum left Tony’s mouth, his lips brushing against Peter’s. “I’ve got you,” he said, closing the distance between them once more.

Their tongues caressed each other languidly, the filthy, wet sounds almost deafening in the large room. Peter felt himself growing hard in his pants and he pressed his hips forward at the feeling, the lust twisting deep in his belly. It felt too good for the embarrassment of being so needy to take hold. He brushed up against Tony’s own burgeoning erection, which prompted them both to let out simultaneous groans.

“So good for me,” Tony breathed. “Let’s go, baby. C’mon, come to bed with me.” He jerked his shoulders up, encouraging Peter to wrap his arms around his neck, and grabbed at the smaller man’s thighs and behind in order to lift him up. 

Peter closed his eyes and buried his face in the crook of Tony’s neck. When he opened them again, he was being placed on the soft, carpeted floor of the bedroom. 

Tony stalked forward slowly, entwining his fingers with Peter’s and forcing him to shuffle backwards until he fell down onto the plush bed. “Hey.”

Peter’s eyes were wide, pupil’s blown as he stared up at the man of his dreams who was crawling up over his body until they were face to face with each other. He drew in a shaky breath, a hint of a smile gracing his lips. “Hi.”

Tony pressed a kiss to the tip of Peter’s nose. “You doin’ okay? Still wanna do this?”

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Peter nodded. He wished that Tony would stop asking, but at the same time, it felt nice. It made him feel important, valued. “I’m great, I want this. I promise.” He shifted a bit in order to wrap his arms around Tony’s neck as kisses were pressed into the crook of his neck and shoulder. 

A grin overtook Tony’s face as he pulled back. “Then we’re wearing far too many clothes, huh?” He sat up so that he was straddling Peter’s waist, an arm raising to pull at the collar of his shirt and yank it over his head before throwing it somewhere across the room. Then he climbed off the brunette’s slight frame in order to shuck his jeans, leaving him clad in only a pair of black boxer briefs. He stood at the foot of the bed, one knee on the mattress. The fingers of his right hand brushed against the inside of Peter’s ankle. “Your turn, baby.” 

Peter took a breath as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and crossed his arms in front of his stomach, gripping at the hem of his sweatshirt. He cut his eyes away, staring at the covers as he fiddled with the fabric somewhat anxiously. He was about to be naked in front of Tony for the first time. Sure, the older man had seen him in various states of undress before in order to fit him for the suit, but this was different. 

He looked back up at Tony, the man’s warm, patient gaze bringing a flush to his cheeks. Peter steeled himself and started pulling the shirt up and over his head. He could do this. The garment was discarded over the side of the bed before he layed back down, pressing his heels into the mattress as he pushed his hips up in order to scoot back so that his head was now in the mountain of pillows at the head of the bed. His thumbs hooked in the waistband of his pants and pushed them down below his knees. “Help me,” he said imploringly, blinking up at Tony.

The billionaire reached down slowly, running his hands along the pale expanse of Peter’s thighs. The chocolate of his eyes darkened when one of Peter’s legs twitched at his touch. “You’re beautiful, Peter.” His voice was reverent as he looked down, gazing into Peter’s eyes as he pulled the sweatpants down the rest of the way and dropped them on the floor. “So perfect.” His beard scratched across the boy’s chest when he leaned down to press kisses to each of the freckles scattered on the smooth skin. “So strong.” A hand caressed his lower belly, running over his abs. 

And for maybe the first time, under Tony’s eyes and his hands, Peter truly felt that way. 

He pulled at Tony’s salt and pepper hair, gasping as the pecks against his flesh turned into wet, open-mouthed kisses, teeth occasionally pinching at his skin. In his boxers, his cock twitched as he got fully hard. “T-Tony,” he whimpered. “I’m- Feels good.” 

Tony smirked into his stomach. “That means I’m doing something right then, kid.” He continued making his way south, Peter’s breath picking up as he released his hair to clutch at the covers. Once reaching the plaid boxers, he let his mouth land over the hard member inside. At first he just let Peter bask in the feeling of the warm, moist air before sucking slightly.

A choked cry left Peter’s lips and his hips bucked harshly. “Fuck, fuck, Tony do- Do that again,” he panted. Peering down the bridge of his nose, he watched as Tony, who had his own eyes closed, suckled at the head of his dick again, the fabric growing dark and damp. There was more suction this time. That familiar feeling was starting to tug behind his belly button. God, how was he already so close? 

And apparently Tony could tell. “You close, honey? Gonna cum in your boxers from me kissing your cock?” He didn’t seem upset, pulling away to run his tongue from the base back up to the tip and sucking the salty fluid he found there through the plaid material. A groan rumbled deep in his chest. “Taste so good, baby.” He paused for a moment, looking up at Peter from underneath his eyelashes, making the younger man suck in a sharp breath. “Wanna see you, Pete. Can I take these off?” He fingered the waistband with his pointer finger. 

“Yes, yes- Please.” Peter shifted his hips again in order to help Tony remove the last of his clothing. Once he was naked, his erection thudded obscenely against his lower belly, smearing saliva and precum over the skin there. 

Tony took the hard flesh into his spit-slicked hand, stroking it slowly, teasing his young lover. He greedily drank in the wanton sounds that were escaping Peter, his own cock straining in his underwear as he pressed himself against the edge of the bed. Taking the now uncovered tip into his mouth, he began to bob his head. 

Peter keened. One of his hands flew up to grab blindly at Tony’s hair again, eyes closed in pleasure. It was so wet, so warm- “Tony, Tony, please!” He fucked his hips up into Tony’s mouth, crying out again when the older man allowed his cock to slide to the back of his throat, making him gag slightly. “Ahhhh, shit!” The pressure was building up inside him once more and his whole body started to get tense. “I’m so, I’m s-so close, Tony.”

All the other man did was hum around his dick and take it all the way down to the root, his nose pressing up against the chestnut curls at the base. His hands clutched at Peter’s asscheeks, pulling them apart slightly in order to gently press the pad of his index finger against the boy’s quivering hole. 

The vibrations, coupled with the unexpected sensation at his opening, had Peter cumming with a broken whine, hips stuttering as he emptied himself in Tony’s mouth. 

Not pulling away until Peter was whimpering from overstimulation, Tony kissed the skin over the teen's hipbone. "That was so good, baby." Crawling until he was fully on the bed, he laid beside Peter, pulling him into his arms to bring their mouths together. "You were so good for me." 

Peter moaned at the taste of himself on Tony's tongue. "Thank you," he whispered when they pulled away. He shifted, slipping his thigh between Tony's. The older man's erection was still pressing against the material of the tight, dark briefs. Reaching down, he cupped the impressive bulge in his hand. From what he could see and feel, Tony was larger than his own slightly above average length. 

"That was amazing. But I want _this_ now," Peter said coyly, tightening his grip before releasing. He looked into Tony's eyes, wanting him to see the truth in them, the trust. The love. "Want you to fuck me, Tony, please." 

Tony groaned, flipping them over so he was once again looming over the other man. "Fuck, Pete. How can I say no when you beg so sweetly?" He brought up a hand to cup at Peter's cheek, thumb pulling at his bottom lip. A hiss escaped him when Peter began to lightly suck on the digit. "As good as that feels," he started, "I think we're gonna need some lube."

Peter paused for a moment, releasing the finger with a soft pop, before reaching behind his head and under one of the pillows, then proudly brandishing the small bottle and thrusting it in Tony's direction. "Got it."

“That’s perfect, honey,” the man mused, taking it. He clicked the top open before looking over Peter again. “Just want to do it like this? On your back, me like this?”

“Yes, Tony. I want...I want to see you,” Peter whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. It had been something he’d thought about for years, something he’d dreamed about. Far too many times. And it was finally happening. 

Tony nodded, smiling down at him. “Then I can definitely do that,” he assured him, gently pushing his legs apart a little more in order to get between them. 

Peter slightly shifted the position he was laying in, angling his hips so that it would be easier for Tony to get to him. There were plenty of pillows on the bed, so he leaned back onto them but stayed sitting up enough to see what was going on. 

The clear, slick liquid was poured over Tony’s fingers. It was probably an excessive amount, but he figured they were better safe than sorry. If he was going to be Peter’s first time, they definitely needed to focus on prepping. 

The younger man bit his lip gently, watching as Tony’s hand disappeared between his legs. Then he felt the cold, wet fingers up against his hole and a surprised gasp left him. 

“Sorry.” Tony chuckled, his fingers prodding gently at the tight muscle as he talked. “Meant to warn you about that. It’s cold.”

“Little too late for that,” Peter mumbled, but he was smiling again as soon as the initial shock wore off. It was really happening. Tony was touching him without a hint of resistance, like it was something they’d done a million times before. 

Tony’s eyes studied Peter’s expression as he started pressing forward with the tip of one finger, making sure the young man wasn’t hurting at all. He paused as soon as there was even the slightest hint of pain on his face. “Need me to stop?”

“No, Tony,” the teen breathed. “Don’t stop. It’s just...different.” He tried to relax, that way it would be less uncomfortable and even maybe go faster. 

“Right...just let me know if you need me to stop. And I will, immediately,” Tony assured him. 

And Peter knew the words true. “I know. Promise, I’ll tell you. But it’s really okay.” 

Tony nodded slowly, continuing on with his task. His finger gently pushed in further, trying to relax Peter’s muscles as he went. 

Peter’s eyes slipped shut as he instinctively clenched around the intrusion. It was such an odd feeling, but it wasn’t bad. Just odd. Different. New. 

He slowly relaxed more as Tony kept working and eventually a second finger was added. His hole began to loosen, letting the older man easily slide his fingers in and out as he continued the prep. 

When Tony decided he was satisfied with the results, he pulled his fingers free and pushed his own briefs off. 

Peter’s breath caught as he watched the length of Tony’s cock come uncovered, bowing under its own weight once the clothing was completely off. And all of it was going to go in him. 

He knew he could take it. He had faith in the prep that Tony had done for him. But that didn’t make him feel any less nervous. 

“Maybe we can start in a different position?” Peter suggested, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He wasn’t sure if he was completely successful or not. 

Tony just looked amused, slicking up his cock with a generous amount of lube as he watched the teen. “Whatever you want, baby. What do you have in mind?”

Peter chewed his lip, slowly sitting up more before moving so that he was on his hands and knees. Though he felt terribly exposed in the new position, it was much preferred to the alternative. He glanced over his shoulder at Tony. “Like this?” He asked, almost sounding shy. 

“Yeah, we can do that,” Tony told him softly, sliding his hands over the younger man’s ass gently. His bottom lip found its way between his teeth. “Definitely can do that. You’re still sure about this, though?” 

“I am. I promise I am.” Peter got more comfortable, moving down so that he was leaning on his elbows. He felt so empty now, without Tony’s fingers inside him, and he couldn’t wait to be filled again. “Take me, Tony. I’m ready for you.” 

The older man nodded, stroking himself for a moment before positioning the head of his cock at Peter’s entrance. “I’m ready for you too, honey. I’ve been ready.” 

“Then what are you waiting for?” Peter asked flirtatiously, grinning back as he watched Tony. Then his grin melted away, replaced by a mixed expression of pleasure and a bit of discomfort as Tony thrust his hips forward slightly. 

“Shit, you’re tight,” Tony mumbled, hands holding onto Peter’s hips as he started pressing forward. He watched as the teen’s hole stretched around his cock, easily taking the entire length. “Fuck, Pete.”

Peter buried his face against one of the pillows, mouth open wide around a moan. “And you’re huge,” he breathed, weakly pressing his hips back. 

Tony pushed himself in until his hips were flush with Peter’s ass, breathing hard as he bottomed out. “Oh, you are so perfect. So...yes, god.” His hands cupped the young man’s ass, squeezing before he remembered to check in again. “Is it good for you too? Nothing’s hurting?” 

“No, not hurting, don’t worry,” Peter assured him with a shaky moan. “Don’t stop. I need you to move, need you to fuck me, Tony.”

The man grinned a little, nodding. “I can do that.” He started with slow thrusts, letting Peter get used to the movement at first. 

Peter kept his face against the plush bedding, breathing hard. Before he realized what was going on, he felt a tear slip from the corner of his eye. Why was he crying? He was finally getting what he wanted, there would be no point in tears. It made no sense.

But then he realized that was just it. He was getting what he’d wanted for so long. Tony’s love, his intimacy, his attention. Just...having Tony at all. 

The realization brought a whole round of tears, making him bury his face in the pillow so that Tony couldn’t see him cry. If his shoulders shook with his sobs, Tony wouldn’t be able to tell with the way he was moving anyways. 

He was enjoying it immensely regardless, whimpering through his tears and moving his hips along with Tony’s as the older man moved behind him. The grip on his waist loosened a little and Peter whined, wiggling a bit. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.” He wasn’t even ashamed of how needy he sounded, it felt too good. 

“I’m not stopping, Pete. Just...I want to see you, while we do this,” Tony whispered. “Is that okay?” 

Peter stilled, sniffling a little. If he turned around, it would be obvious that he had been crying. And Tony couldn’t know. He didn’t want to ruin this. 

“Is it okay?” Tony repeated, sounding a bit nervous. It was strange to hear such an inflection in his voice. The man was always so strong, so sure of himself. 

It stirred something deep within Peter. “Yes. Yeah, it’s okay. I want to see you too.” He wiped his eyes quickly, trying to dry his tears and make it unnoticeable that he had been crying. But he wasn’t so sure that it worked. He felt Tony’s hands completely release him and he steeled himself before turning over so that he was once again laid out on his back. “Hi,” was his soft mumble as their eyes met. 

Tony smiled at him with his eyes as much as his mouth. “Hey, honey,” he replied just as gently, as if they were in a trance that would break if they were any louder. Positioning himself back between the slighter man’s spread legs, he took his erection in hand and slowly breached the ring of muscle. A shuddering breath escaped him as he kept going until he was completely seated in the tight, warm heat. “Peter,” he sighed. 

Peter closed his eyes briefly, taking a moment to appreciate how deep Tony was buried inside him at this angle. “So deep.” He breathed the words out, groaning a bit when Tony pulled out only to start thrusting in earnest. “S-so good, Tony.” One of his legs bent at the knee in order to wrap around the man’s thick waist. 

“Yeah? Feels good?” Tony’s voice was breathy as he pounded into Peter, holding himself up on his arms. He shifted his weight in order to clutch at the thigh that was pressed against his abdomen. “That’s all I want, baby, just want you to feel good. Wanna make you happy.” 

Peter felt like he’d been waiting his whole life to hear those words. Because hadn’t been truly happy in so long, and here he was now, with the man of his dreams, feeling loved and cherished, so happy it was overwhelming. 

The soft sob bubbled up from Peter’s lungs before he could stop it, and he immediately slapped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound. But they wouldn’t stop, and neither would the tears that were again stinging behind his closed eyelids. God, he had to stop fucking _crying_. He felt Tony slow down before freezing completely and blinked rapidly before shutting his eyes, not wanting to see the expression on his lover’s face.

But he could imagine it perfectly well.

One of Tony’s hands brushed against his cheek. “You’re crying again. What’s wrong? Peter? Did I-” He cut himself off with an audible swallow, voice unsure. “Did I do something? Does it hurt?” Starting to pull out, he stopped when Peter’s eyes snapped open and a hand clutched at his wrist. 

Sniffling, Peter shook his head as he tried desperately to control breathing and his wobbling lower lip. “No no no, you’re perfect. I’m fine. I just- I just love you so much, Tony.” He hoped that the truth in his words could be heard. Because it was true. This was everything he had ever wanted. 

The shine of tears appeared in the older man’s eyes, too. He shot a shaky smile down at Peter, reaching his head down to pepper kisses on his face before landing the last one on his lips, their foreheads pressed together. “Oh, baby. I love you too, Peter.” They kissed deeply for a moment, Tony starting up with gentle thrusts again. His hand wrapped around Peter’s cock that was trapped between their bodies, stroking it in time with the movement of his hips. “And I’ll show you just how much, honey. You gonna let me?” While his hand kept the same pace, he began to speed up the rocking of his lower half.

Peter let out a choked cry as the head of Tony’s dick repeatedly nudged against his prostate. “Yes, Tony, fuck, fuck me,” he heaved, breath catching with each thrust, the soft ‘ah- ah- ah’s filling the bedroom. Despite getting emotional, he was still extremely close to the edge, it wouldn’t take much for him to be pushed over. “‘M so close, Tony.” His legs splayed to the side, muscles unable to hold them up any longer. 

If the way he began to lose his rhythm was any indication, the dark haired man wasn’t faring any better. “Yeah, baby? Gonna cum again, cum on my cock?” His voice was rough with the exertion of holding himself upright, his core flexed tightly. 

Peter gasped, hole twitching wildly as he shallowly pumped his hips up into Tony’s grip. “Mmhmm. Want- want you to fill me up, Tony, please.” 

“ _Shit_ ,” Tony hissed, his balls drawing up as he reached his peak at the young man’s words. “Jesus, Peter, fuck-”

Peter groaned at the feeling of the hard flesh jerking inside him, the heavy warmth that was filling him. It triggered his own orgasm, thick ropes of cum shooting from his tip and covering his stomach and Tony’s fingers. His toes twitched as he curled them, lost in the sensations. “Tony, Tony, love you,” he muttered through the haze clouding his head. 

Tony trembled above him, hips still thrusting shallowly as he rode out the aftershocks. He pressed a messy kiss to Peter’s temple. “I love you too, Pete. So much. And I’m never gonna let you forget it.” He let his lips rest there for a moment before pulling away and slowly pulling out of Peter before rolling off to the side. His arms grabbed the smaller man and pulled him in, close to his chest. 

Peter sniffled lightly, squeezing Tony’s waist. He stretched a bit, getting comfortable in the man’s hold before pressing his mouth to one of the gently defined pec muscles. “I love you more,” he whispered quietly, eyes slipping shut as they lay there in the afterglow. 

He hadn’t been this content in nearly a year. And now, it was all his. This feeling, this man, this love.

And he wasn’t going to let it go.


	3. Domesticity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> petey’s having a grand old time and so are we! lol   
> \- bloo and bri <3

In the first few moments after Peter woke up, things were perfect. Memories of the previous night came flooding back and a slight smile tugged at his lips as he snuggled into Tony’s warm embrace. 

Everything was alright. 

But as soon as he had the thought, something shifted. 

Because everything _wasn’t_ alright. 

His eyes snapped open, instantly pulling him out of the illusion. His hands roamed over his body, trying to mimic the sensations he had felt before. But it wasn’t the same and he knew it. 

It had all felt so _real_. 

He slid the glasses off, just for a moment, while he reached for his phone. When he checked it there were dozens of missed calls and unread texts. Mostly from May, but there were quite a few from other people as well. MJ, Ned, even a couple from Pepper.

Shit, that made him feel ridiculously guilty. She was trying to get into contact with him and he was busy playing house with his fantasy of her husband. 

Yet the guilt wasn’t enough to make him respond. Instead, he turned his phone back off and tossed it to the side, putting the EDITH glasses back on. Out of sight, out of mind.

Indulging himself and just pretending for a little longer wouldn’t hurt anybody. It wasn’t like they’d know. This was just for him. 

Him and Tony. 

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he focused back in. And he was taken right back to where he wanted to be. 

When he opened them again, he was laying down with Tony. A smile appeared on his face. 

The older man was still fast asleep, limbs tangled with Peter’s. He seemed to be completely unaware of Peter’s brief absence, not that he would have felt it in the first place. As far as he knew, both of them had stayed in bed the entire night. 

Peter gently began pulling himself away, pressing a quick kiss to Tony’s forehead before he dug his way out of the covers and slid out of bed. 

The room was cold and made him shiver slightly before he found the shirt that Tony had been wearing the night before and pulled it on. There. That was much better. It fell just to the tops of his thighs, hardly hiding anything, but he didn’t mind. And he was sure Tony wouldn’t either.

He wandered a little, making his way out of the bedroom and looking around. The penthouse was huge, but it didn’t feel empty in the way it had before. Love filled up the space, bringing everything to life. It made the place feel like a home. 

The thought brought a smile to his face as he continued his wandering. He knew exactly where he was going, of course, but it was nice to just explore in the morning quiet. 

Everything was just as he remembered it, down to the smallest details. The neatly stacked magazines on the coffee table (it wasn’t like Tony ever read them), the way morning sunlight beamed gently through the window wall, the various mechanical parts strewn about from late-night projects that got brought out of the lab. It was all the same. 

Peter eventually made his way to his initial destination, the kitchen. 

He started pulling ingredients out, mentally running through what he needed to make breakfast. Eggs, flour, milk...everything was there, all the things that were necessary. Not that he’d doubted they would be. 

The teen got to work soon after, humming quietly to himself as he started prepping. He combined, sifted, whisked, and followed each step to make sure everything came together. Ruined pancakes just wouldn’t do. 

As he was standing over the stove, finishing up the cooking, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind. 

He instantly melted into the touch, leaning back and grinning when he felt the warm press of lips against his cheek. When he spoke, his voice was soft so as to not disturb the intimate moment. “Morning, Tony. I figured I’d let you sleep in.” The facial hair covering his chin and jaw rubbed against Peter’s skin, making something tingle deep in his belly. 

The man made an appreciative noise, nodding a little. “Thank you, honey,” he murmured, voice still rough from sleep.

Peter thought it was one of the most wonderful sounds he’d ever heard and he wanted to keep hearing it. The tone was raspy and low, insanely sexy. He loved it. “You’re welcome. Working on breakfast now, it’s about done,” he informed Tony happily. 

“It smells incredible, I can’t wait.” Tony slowly pulled away, as if it was the last thing he wanted to do, before walking over to the cupboard and pulling out two plates. “I’ll make things a little easier on you, I can help plate everything once it’s finished. Teamwork makes the dream work, and all that.” 

The young man nodded a little, the hint of a grin pulling the corners of his lips upwards, though his main focus was the food on the stove. He didn’t want to let any of it burn, he wanted it all to be absolutely perfect. 

Not that any of it could turn out anything but that. The fact tugged persistently at the back of his mind, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. He’d coded the STARKER program for perfection, with instructions to replicate exactly what he desired. So no matter what he did, breakfast would be perfect regardless. 

He just wanted it to feel real on his end, too. 

“Okay, I’m ready- bring the plates over here,” he instructed, glancing over at where Tony was standing. 

Tony nodded quickly, holding out the two plates. He stood there patiently, giving Peter a small smile as they met eyes. That warm glow was there again, the one that reminded Peter of sunlight shining through honey and made him feel like he was the most important person in the other man’s world. Which meant- a lot, considering the life Tony had lived, the experiences he’d had, the people he knew. 

Peter blinked himself out of his thoughts in order to dish out the food, stacking each pancake just-so and making sure the yolks in every egg stayed unbroken. So he was being a bit neurotic- sue him. 

Once he was finished plating breakfast, the pair made their way over to the square table and sat right across from each other. It wasn’t overly large, so they were close enough to hold hands, which was exactly what they did. Their hands stayed clasped together as they got situated , both digging in almost instantly. 

A contented hum came from the other side of the table. “This is great, Peter, I had no idea you were such a whiz in the kitchen,” Tony complimented, tone light and playful. He sounded truly happy, and it transferred over to the younger man as if they were in some sort of feedback loop.

“I have to be,” Peter laughed, swallowing the bite he’d taken. “May burns everything she makes, I can’t survive off of that. I had to learn some basic things myself. And it’s fun.” 

He’d imagined cooking for Tony a lot. Not anything big, it wasn’t like he was really that good. But he always thought that it would be such a nice thing. Something sort of domestic the two of them could do together. Something special for them to share with each other. And the reality was just as good as he’d imagined. 

Tony nodded, watching him. “Well, you did amazing. It’s really great, I couldn’t have asked for better.” He grinned, sincerely impressed. 

Peter smiled softly at him, squeezing his hand gently. “Thank you.” 

They continued eating in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was a gentle, companionable quiet. Nothing needed to be said, they were just enjoying being with each other. 

That was all they needed. 

By the time they were finished with breakfast, Peter was already lost in other thoughts. 

The simulation was going so much better than he ever could have imagined. It was all so _real_. Which was everything that he had hoped for. 

He really could have everything that he wanted, everything he’d envisioned life with Tony to be. They could really have their happily ever after, the one they both deserved. The universe owed them this.

“I can _see_ you thinking,” Tony teased lightly, snapping Peter out of his thoughts. “What’s up?”

Peter looked up again, blinking rapidly as he tried to reorient himself. “Hmm?” He couldn’t really explain it all. Nor did he want to. “Oh, nothing. Just...thinking about how happy I am.” That was fairly true, at least. Lying by omission wasn’t really lying in his book. “I’ve wanted this for so long. With you.” 

The older man smiled a little, eyes once again filled with adoration as he gazed across the table. Peter swore he’d never grow tired of being on the receiving end of that look. “Me too. It’s always been you, Pete.” 

He said it with such sincerity that Peter could almost believe it. Although, he figured that for this Tony, Peter _was_ always the one for him. And honestly- That was enough. 

“It’s always been you for me too, Tones.” The nickname slipped out, but he didn’t try to take it back. It didn’t hurt anyone and it felt so much more personal. Intimate. He liked it. 

Tony smiled at him, nodding. 

Peter watched him, meeting his gaze and not looking away. Suddenly he remembered the silly plan he’d made after he met Tony for the first time. 

It didn’t make any sense, not really. It was unrealistic, just the silly dream of an obsessed, love-sick teenager. 

But he used to imagine getting married to Tony. He had things planned out exactly in his elaborate daydreams, down to the flavor of cake they’d have and the color scheme. There were even a couple venues that he’d researched. Peter could admit that he’d spent an embarrassing amount of time focused on that specific fantasy. 

And that’s all it had been, fantasy. But...he could bring it to life. Here, in his ideal world. Where things were exactly as he desired. He could easily have that dream become a reality. At least for a little while. 

Before he could stop himself, he was standing up from his seat and letting go of Tony’s hand. 

Tony raised an eyebrow, watching his movements curiously but not commenting. He stayed in his seat, eyes following as Peter rushed away to the other room. 

“I just have to grab something!” He called over his shoulder, running back to the bedroom. The bed was still unmade, reminding him of what they’d done the previous night. It brought a small smile to his face before he resumed what he was doing. 

He began shuffling through drawers, moving stacks of clothes and papers in his search. For a moment, he wasn’t even sure what he was actually looking for. 

Then his fingers brushed against a small box and wrapped around it. He pulled the velvet cube out, hands shaking slightly as he brought it up to look at it and set it on top of the dresser. 

He opened it, revealing a gold engagement band. It had a beautiful, intricate pattern and deep red stones set around it. It was perfect, exactly what he’d imagined in his daydreams. Of course it was.

He closed the box again and held it close to his chest. He’d give it to Tony. Maybe it was moving fast, but he thought he deserved it. This was supposed to be everything that he wanted, so he would make it match his fantasies exactly, down to a T. 

But he could wait for just a little bit. He didn’t want to break the soft, domestic bliss they were feeling just yet. After all, he had all the time in the world to pop the question. Even the thought was exciting; in his dreams, Tony had always been the one to propose to him. This would be an interesting flip in the script. 

So he tucked the box away again, remembering where he left it. Then he peeked back out of the room. “Tony?” He called softly. 

“Yeah?” From the sounds of it, Tony was washing the dishes from breakfast. He was so thoughtful that way. 

“I think I’m gonna get a shower,” Peter started, fingers sliding against the smooth door frame. A slight smile tugged at his lips as he got an idea. “Maybe you could...join me?” He offered. 

He heard a dish crash from the kitchen and he covered his mouth in an attempt to hold back his mirth. Then he gave up and laughed when he heard the sound of Tony’s footsteps rushing back to the bedroom. 

“I would love to do that, yep.” Tony grinned, looking at him as he all but fell through the doorway. He almost sounded like he was out of breath from running from the kitchen. 

Peter laughed harder, leaning up to kiss the other man before pulling away to walk to the en-suite bathroom. He didn’t have much to do in terms of undressing, just slowly pulling off the shirt he’d put on. He tossed it down to the floor, taking note of where it landed so he could find it again later. 

He glanced back over his shoulder, meeting Tony’s eyes and giving him a small smirk before walking in further. 

Tony was close behind, stepping out of the thin sweatpants he’d slipped on. 

Peter moved to turn the shower on, eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he figured it out. How could a shower be so damn complicated. Then he turned to look at Tony, feeling breathless. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to seeing the man like that. And he didn’t want to. He wanted to always be just as excited as the first time. 

“You’re absolutely stunning,” Tony murmured, taking the young man by surprise. 

The teen felt one of his eyebrows shoot up without his permission as he gazed over at Tony with wide eyes. “Me?” It’s not that Peter considered himself ugly, but he didn’t think he was anything special. Just average. Nothing like the man in front of him who was undeniably one of the most beautiful people on the planet.

“Of course you.” Tony grinned a little, grabbing his hand before stepping into the shower. “Who else would I mean?” 

That was fair. It wasn’t like anyone else was there, no one else for Tony to be referring to. But the words were thrilling and made him happy all the same. The fact that the billionaire saw him like that, thought that they looked good together, did wonders for his ego and self-confidence even if he wasn’t completely convinced.

“Well...I don’t know.” Peter smiled a little. “You’re sweet. And you’re...absolutely gorgeous too.” He laughed a little, getting into the shower with the older man. His cheeks flushed as he talked, but he meant the words. 

“I’m glad you think so.” Tony chuckled, moving to stand under the water and wet his hair. “Hey, get over here really quick,” he encouraged after a moment, stepping out from under the showerhead again. “I want to do something.”

Peter was pulled away from his thoughts, raising an eyebrow at the other man. “Get over where? We’re barely standing a foot apart.”

“Hush. Come get your hair wet and let me do this.” 

The teen did as he was told, a small smile tugging at his lips as he gently brushed his fingers through the now-dripping curls. “There. Better?” 

Tony nodded, grabbing a bottle of shampoo and getting some in his hand. “Much.” He lathered it up, humming softly to himself as he did. “Let me wash your hair?”

Peter watched him, nodding slowly. It was such a small thing, but the action was so soft. He would never deny Tony of something like that. 

He stepped closer, turning around so that his back was to Tony. 

Tony smiled, hands moving to Peter’s head. His fingers began gently working the shampoo into his hair, massaging his scalp as he went. 

The teen made a content sound, eyes slipping shut. Tony’s fingers in his hair felt nice. 

“How’s this?” Tony asked softly, grinning a little. He loved how Peter started melting into his touch as soon as he’d started. 

“It’s so good,” Peter nearly-whimpered, biting his lip. It was so nice, gentle and intimate. 

The older man smirked a little as he heard the tone of Peter’s voice. “I’m glad you think so.”

Once the shampoo had been effectively lathered and worked in, it was time to wash it out. 

Peter didn’t want the feeling to ever stop, the action incredibly soothing. But he knew that he couldn’t just have his hair washed forever, that wouldn’t work out. And they still had more to do. 

So he stepped under the water again, rinsing out the suds and watching them swirl down the drain. 

When he was done, he stepped back and looked at Tony again. He hadn’t expected something so sweet, but he loved it. 

Peter watched him closely, mouth nearly watering at the sight before him. This absolute god of a man, completely bare in front of him. No matter how soft and sweet he was, the teen couldn’t help but think about other things. The water slid over Tony’s body, making his skin glisten and shine. 

And Tony didn’t seem to notice the reverent way Peter was gazing in his direction at all. 

He recalled the night before, how agreeable Tony had been to their activities. So he had no worries that he’d be denied here. 

But he did, however, want to shake things up a bit. 

He took a few more moments to admire Tony’s form before he was stepping closer, his hands dragging over the older man’s chest and abs, tracing the scar where the reactor used to sit. The muscle definition was softer than his own, but he loved it just the same. This body was so strong, had been through so much and done so many amazing things.

Tony raised an eyebrow, moving so that his back was to the water. “Pete?” He couldn’t help but smirk a little. He’d expected some sort of contact, Peter was very handsy that way. But he was really going for it fast. 

“Hmm?” Peter didn’t look up. His cheeks were burning as he touched Tony, but that didn’t make him stop. Then, slowly, he began to sink down onto his knees. His hands slid down Tony’s hips until they rested on his wet thighs. 

He’d imagined a moment like this for a long time. Pleasing Tony, being able to watch the man as he fell apart from the way Peter was making him feel. And of course, he’d seen it partially when they’d slept together. But he wanted to cause that pleasure in a different way, now. 

“What are you doing down there?” As though it wasn’t obvious. Tony’s fingers gently threaded through the young man’s hair, the strands sticking together from the water falling from his fingers. “Thought we were showering.” 

“We will,” Peter whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Tony’s left hip. “I want to do this first.” He started kissing down the man’s stomach, lips brushing against the light happy trail once he reached it. 

One of his hands moved from its place on Tony’s thigh to wrap around the man’s cock, gently taking hold of it. It was mostly soft, but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. He stroked slowly, glancing up as he kept his lips pressed to Tony’s lower belly, trying to hold back the urge to just let his tongue ghost over the sensitive skin there. 

Tony was watching him with half-lidded eyes and his lips parted just slightly. His hips gently rocked forward, fucking into Peter’s slick grip as he was gradually brought to full hardness. 

Peter leaned back and shook his wet hair out of his face, looking over Tony as he figured out how he wanted to approach things. Then he leaned in again, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of the man’s cock. It wasn’t much, but it was what felt right. It was sweet, intimate. 

And it made Tony shiver above him, so he thought it was a good choice. 

The young man smirked to himself slightly, batting his eyelashes as he looked up. “Did you like that?” He asked sweetly. 

“Uh huh...Peter, do you know what you’re doing?”

Not at all. He had never done anything even remotely like it. “Yeah, of course I do.” His tongue darted out, giving a soft little kitten lick over the head to punctuate his sentence. 

He’d never given oral, and the only time he’d even received had been the night before. But he’d seen enough porn and read enough that he was sure he wouldn’t be _awful_. He just needed to remember the things he’d read. And he knew what felt good to his own body, he just needed to translate it to another person. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Tony nodded slowly, fingers tightening in his hair slightly at the feeling of the young man’s wet tongue on his erection. “Okay, honey.” He relaxed, ready to take whatever Peter wanted to give him. 

Peter kissed the tip one more time before slowly wrapping his lips around it. It was weird, the slightly salty skin against his tongue. But he liked it. And he definitely liked the sounds that the action caused Tony to make. 

So he sucked gently, his eyes slipping shut in order for him to focus solely on what he was doing. It wasn’t all that different from having a lollipop or a popsicle in his mouth, if the treat was warm and gave way under the pressure of his ministrations.

His tongue brushed over the slit in the head, gathering the small amount of precum that had welled up already. Then he rubbed it against the slight ridge on the underside of the tip. He knew that would feel pretty good. 

A low moan came from Tony, causing Peter to echo the sound, instinctually responding to his partner’s pleasure. The vibrations made the older man grip his hair tighter. 

“Maybe you _do_ know what you’re doing,” he mumbled, eyes dark and heavy as he gazed down at Peter. 

Peter smiled a little at that, as best he could around the flesh in his mouth, at least. He liked knowing that he was doing well, that he was pleasing Tony, even if he hadn’t done much yet. Hopefully it would only continue to get better. 

At the slight praise, he started trying to take down more. Peter hadn’t known how much the validation would turn him on. He wanted more of it, wanted to be good for Tony. He started with just a couple of inches, sucking lightly and humming to give different types of stimulation. His head bobbed slightly, only taking as much as he had before. It wouldn’t be good if he tried to do too much too soon. He didn’t want to embarrass himself by choking or anything. 

Tony stayed fairly quiet, but he just wasn’t the most vocal in his pleasure, Peter knew. He showed his appreciation in other ways, holding Peter’s hair tighter, nudging his hips forward slightly into the wet heat of the teen’s mouth. And Peter eagerly drank in the few sounds that did escape him. 

The younger man held onto Tony’s thigh with his free hand, nails leaving small crescent-shaped indents as his fingers dug in slightly. His other hand stayed wrapped around Tony’s cock, holding it steady as he took more down and stroking what he hadn’t yet fit into his mouth. 

He slowly moved further down, taking more and more of the length in as he let himself get used to the feeling. But before he was able to take it all the way, the tip hit the back of his throat and made him choke, the gagging sound obscenely loud in the tiled room. 

He pulled off, eyes watering as he coughed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” Sniffling and taking a shaky breath, he licked at his lips in an attempt to clean off some of the thick saliva he could feel running down his chin and smearing along his lips.

Tony groaned, still holding Peter’s hair as he pulled away. “It’s alright. Don’t worry, not a big deal. You’re still a beginner, it’s alright,” he assured breathily. The gag made Peter’s throat tighten deliciously around him and he was still recovering from the sudden sensation. 

“Still.” Peter pouted a little, looking up at him for a second. He blinked against the light spray of water ricocheting off of the shower walls and Tony’s body. He didn’t want to embarrass himself like that any more.

Tony frowned slightly at whatever expression he saw on the younger’s face. “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s okay, I mean it, baby.” He paused for a second, looking like he was considering something, before opening his mouth again, a glint in his eyes. “It, uh, I actually think it’s pretty hot, feels good, too. I promise.” A lopsided smile pulled at his lips as he let his fingers scratch lightly against the boy’s scalp.

Peter felt his cheeks flush. If it felt good for Tony, maybe they could explore it another time. But today he just wanted to get acquainted with this new part of Tony’s body without feeling like he was going to throw up. He slowly started taking the man’s cock again, making sure he was patient (well, as patient as he could be) and didn’t force himself too much. Closing his eyes momentarily, he focused on relaxing the muscles of his throat and breathing through his nose.

And it worked, he was able to ignore his gag reflex and start bobbing his head while taking the entire length down his throat. 

Tony dropped his head back, chest heaving with labored breaths as he kept his hold on Peter’s hair. His hips twitched forward with the teen’s movements, trying to keep himself at least partially composed. 

Although it wasn’t really working. 

“Pete, this...okay, fuck,” he swore under his breath. “I won’t last much longer like this,” he warned. “You feel so good, baby, so good for me.”

Peter hummed in acknowledgment, but didn’t still or slow down his actions. Hearing Tony’s praise only made him more determined to make the older man come apart for him. His head kept bobbing, taking Tony’s cock down easier every time. 

Maybe it would have been nice to go further, have Tony press him against the wall and fuck him until he couldn’t remember his own name. But there were still things he wanted to get done today and there would always be plenty of time for sex later. He was happy to just please Tony for the moment. That was more than enough for him. 

Tony groaned softly, but it was strained. He was quickly nearing his release and they both knew it. 

Peter felt the man’s cock throb against his tongue and he switched up his technique, quickly moving to just suckling at the sensitive tip again. Making his eyes intentionally wide, he looked up at his partner from underneath his wet eyelashes as he made a show of letting his tongue peak out as he licked around the head before resuming the light, teasing suction.

And that was Tony’s undoing. 

His fingers tightened in Peter’s hair again, tugging slightly as his hips thrust forward through his high. 

Peter moaned around him, tasting the first burst of cum as it hit his tongue. He kept his head bobbing slightly, just keeping his lips wrapped around the tip as he worked the older man through his orgasm. 

“Jesus, Peter,” Tony breathed, legs trembling as he came down from his high. He pulled his softening cock from Peter’s lips, eyes not leaving the teenager’s face. 

Peter stared up at Tony, something fluttering deep in his belly as he knelt there on the shower floor. 

But it wasn’t arousal this time. 

Maybe it was the wrong time. But as far as he was concerned, whenever he wanted it to happen was the right time. 

“Marry me, Tony,” he said softly, eyes shining as he gazed upon the man that he loved. "I know that this is all going fast, so fast, but I love you more than anything in the world. I can't imagine life without you, and I don't ever want us to be apart again. So will you… Will you marry me?" 

It wasn’t anything like how he’d dreamed it. Not anywhere close. But it still felt right. It was them.

Tony's deep brown eyes were wide and glistening with unshed tears that he tried to blink away. "Peter," he whispered, "Come up here. I would get down there with you but my knees don't work like they used to." A soft chuckle escaped his lips. 

Peter stood slowly, wincing at the slight ache in his own knees before pulling Tony completely out from under the water to look at him. “I don’t want you to say I’m too young, or it’s too fast or anything like that.” But he knew that he wouldn’t. Because Tony would never. 

But especially not when everything Peter wanted got to happen. 

Instead of responding, Tony took Peter’s hands in his before pulling him in for a gentle kiss. It was soft and sweet, but there were still the hints of passion behind it that made Peter’s heartbeat quicken. 

By the time they pulled away, Peter had almost forgotten what had inspired the kiss in the first place. Tony’s kisses had the ability to do that, they took his breath away and made him forget anything but Tony himself. 

Then he was reminded when Tony kissed his forehead and whispered against his skin. “This is the beginning of our forever, Pete. Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.” Another chuckle, this one a bit louder and slightly baffled sounding. “Although it is a little surreal for this to be happening when I just came down your throat.”

A shocked cackle erupted from Peter’s mouth before he could stop it and he wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck, hiding his smile and laughter in the crook of his neck. “Shut up,” he muttered halfheartedly, content in the older man’s hold. He pressed a soft kiss over Tony’s pulse and let his lips linger there as the water cascaded over his back.

What a beautiful forever it would be.

***

Peter was okay with how the proposal had gone. It had felt right and the outcome was exactly what he’d wanted. He was thrilled, even if the proposal itself was a bit...unorthodox. So were he and Tony.

But he wanted a wedding, wanted the experience and the memory of having that moment with the man that he loved. He wanted to look into Tony’s eyes and say ‘I do’, and to hear those words repeated back to him. And he wanted it to be the wedding he’d always planned in his dreams. 

The issue was that he wanted it to happen as soon as possible, since he knew on some level that things couldn’t last forever. And planning an entire wedding was difficult. 

“It has to be perfect,” he mumbled to himself, frustrated. 

Perfection shouldn’t have been hard to achieve in his simulation. The program was _designed_ for ‘perfect’. But things still felt off no matter what he did. 

Or maybe he just felt off about the whole thing, somewhere deep in the back of his mind. That didn’t mean he had to acknowledge the feeling, though. 

Peter shook his head like that would shake the thoughts away. Then he got started planning out more of what he wanted to do, writing notes and ideas in a little notebook he’d found after they’d gotten dressed to go about their day. He would have included Tony in the planning, but…well, he wasn’t really sure how that would work. 

Could this Tony have actually shared his own ideas on the matter? Or would it have just been all of Peter’s ideas repeated back to him anyways? 

The teen honestly wasn’t sure. So he determined that it would be easier for him to keep his sense of the reality if he just went about doing all of the necessary preparation himself. That would be okay, he could do it. 

They already had the ring. He’d given it to Tony after their shower, his heart pounding as he slipped it onto the man’s finger. It looked perfect on him. Just as Peter knew it would. Now he just needed one for himself, something complementary.

Figuring out the venue wouldn’t be difficult. He could have the wedding anywhere he wanted, nothing was off limits. But he knew where he wanted it to be. At least...he had a pretty good idea. He had always envisioned something grand and luxurious, something worthy of Tony. The man was a billionaire, for fuck’s sake.

After that, there wasn’t too much left to take care of. He didn’t want anything big. Although the half-formed guest list in his mind was fairly impossible, he could come back to that. What was impossibility when EDITH was involved?

***

The man gave a heavy sigh as he sat in front of the holo-display, one hand moving up to rub across the skin of his head. He spun around in his chair to make eye contact with the other individuals scattered throughout the room. “Any news? Anyone? Please tell me we’ve got _something_.” The frustration and exasperation were clear in his voice. 

Only silence followed as the agents looked at each other uneasily, no one daring to speak up. 

Fury slapped his hand down on the desk. “Why the _fuck_ ,” he ground out, “can the world’s leading intelligence agency not locate a goddamn _teenager_?” 

Rolling her eyes, Agent Hill walked into the briefing room, shooting a long-suffering look at the director. “He obviously doesn’t want to be found, Nick.”

He made an affronted face, mouth opening. “Do I look like I give a rat’s ass what Peter Parker wants? What _I_ want is to find _his_ ass and bring it back here so we can do some damage control on this shit storm!” He turned to face the agents again, staring them all down. “And since you incompetent motherfuckers can't find him, the _least_ you can do is bring me someone who can!” 

One of the agents, clearly the greenest of the bunch, hesitantly raised her hand as she turned away from her computer screen. “Where should we start, Director Fury, sir?” 

Nick scoffed, throwing his hands up in the air. “Can you all do nothing on your own? I’m not your mother, figure it out!” 

She narrowed her eyes at him, almost like a challenge. “I actually have an idea, sir. One of Peter’s closest contacts is an Edward Leeds-”

Fury shook his head before she could finish. “No, absolutely not.”

The young agent pressed on, rising up out of her chair. “With all due respect, Director, I think he might be our best bet. We know from Stark’s files that Mr. Leeds is an extremely capable programmer, he’s helped Mr. Parker alter Stark tech in the past.”

“With all due respect, Agent Oliver, absolutely fucking not.” Fury looked at her, eyebrows knit together. “No. No, no, I’m not recruiting another damn teenager.” Obviously there were enough issues and liabilities just from Parker being involved. And while it was for a different purpose, he would rather just stick with adults. 

“But Peter’s more likely to listen to him. _And_ he knows his way around tech,” Hill pointed out, casting a look in the younger woman’s direction. “I think Oliver’s right, Nick. He really is our best bet.” 

Fury shot her a weak glare before pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want to agree. The last thing he wanted was to deal with another teenager. “Well, I’m not babysitting him.”

***

Ned hadn’t heard from Peter since the big announcement from the Bugle and that asshole J. Jonah Jameson. And what kind of a name was that? He wasn’t sure that anyone had been in contact with his best friend, which was worrisome considering he’d just been outed to the entire world. He’d sent him a dozen messages and called even more, but there had been silence. The texts weren’t even read. 

So he wasn’t as surprised as he probably should have been when he received a secure message with an obvious SHIELD logo on the bottom. He may have freaked out for a minute out of sheer excitement, though.

“This is so cool,” he mumbled to himself once he’d calmed down, eyes quickly raking over the message to see what it was about. 

He smiled weakly when he got to the point. ‘Locating Peter Parker.’ Of course that’s what it was about. Why else would SHIELD ever contact him? “Guy in the chair,” he whispered, automatically responding to the message. 

He really wanted his best friend to come home. It couldn’t be good for Peter to be out there all alone. “I hope you’re alright, man,” he thought aloud after sending his reply. 

If he couldn’t find Peter, who could?


	4. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are moving along! we can’t wait to hear what you guys think! - bloo and bri <3

Ned stared up at the overly large glass doors in front of him. “ _Whoa_.” 

The new SHIELD headquarters was pretty impressive, mirrored glass making up the entire outside. An interesting choice for a building that got attacked quite a bit, but maybe it was reinforced glass. It wasn’t his place to judge. 

The agent that had been sent to pick him up simply looked at the teenager blankly before snapping his fingers a few times in quick succession. "Inside, please."

"Oh, yeah, okay right." Taking a step forward, Ned walked through the doors when they slid open. "So, uh, do you know where I am supposed to go, exactly?" He looked over at Grumpy expectantly.

"Front desk," was the only response he received as the man walked away from him.

So much for that. "Thanks," Ned muttered to himself, clutching the straps of his backpack and making his way to said front desk. Not off to a great start. The first guy definitely was not the most helpful person in the world, but maybe someone else would be. He hoped that would be the case. 

The blonde woman sitting behind the desk looked up at him, pausing her typing. "May I help you?" She didn’t sound unkind, so Ned decided to try his luck. 

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, I think so. I'm here to see-"

"Leeds." 

His head jerked up as he heard the voice. That was not at all something he had expected. It was hard enough to convince himself that the email was real, but he hadn’t even dreamed that he’d be having any direct interactions with the man in front of him. "Holy shit, you're Nick Fury! I mean- uh- yes, Ned Leeds, that's me."

There was a moment of tension before the director narrowed his eye in Ned’s direction and spun around on his heel. "Come with me. You need to be fingerprinted and we need to get you a badge."

“A badge? Like- the kind someone who works here gets?”

“Not exactly.”

Throughout the whole process, Ned was wide-eyed with amazement. Everything was so cool. The whole thing had to be a dream, and he was sure he was going to blink and wake up in his bedroom. He repeatedly did his best to hold back streams of thrilled babbling and little noises of excitement.

He still hadn’t held back as much as the director had hoped.

“You’ll be working with one of our agents,” Fury groused, pausing as the door to the briefing room slid open to allow them to enter. He stepped away from the teen to sit in the dark leather desk chair placed at the head of the long glass table. Looking down at his watch, he sighed before raising his gaze back up. “Oliver will be your point person. You’re not to bother anyone else, understood?” 

Ned nodded his head a few times in quick succession. “Yes sir, Mr. Fury, sir.” When the man’s eye narrowed at him, he hastily corrected himself. Shit. “Sorry, sorry- Director Fury. Sir.” He hurriedly let himself fall into another desk chair to Fury’s right and waited for further instructions.

None came. The only sounds to be heard were the ticking of the clock on the wall and the soft whoosh of their breathing. What was with no one giving him any information? It was unnerving, as was the silence, and Ned couldn’t help himself-

“So, uh-,” he started, fiddling with his backpack, which he was now clutching in his lap. “When’s this Oliver guy supposed to get here? What like, department is he from?” 

Fury merely stared at him blankly, expression giving absolutely nothing away. “That’s classified information.” His eyebrow twitched minutely, betraying the fact that he was fucking with Ned, but the teen didn’t pick up on it. 

“Oh, oh okay. Well what _can_ I know? Like- How am I supposed to help you guys-” 

The door burst open, a slight female form rushing into the room, arms full. “Sorry I’m late, Director,” she breathed, nearly gliding along the floor as she made her way to a seat on the opposite side of the table from Ned, beside Fury. Her glasses were slipping down the slope of her nose and she hurriedly pushed them up with the side of her hand. She took a deep breath before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that had come out of the intricate braiding atop her head. “I-” 

The man sighed and shook his head. “I don’t wanna hear it Oliver-” 

Ned’s mouth was open wide as he stared at the ~~girl~~ woman across from him. “Huh? But you’re-” 

His interjection made the young woman turn her attention on him, a smile overtaking her kind face. “Oh! You must be Mr. Leeds! It’s nice to meet you, thanks so much for coming in. We could really use your help to locate your friend Peter.” She stuck her hand out, delicately French-tipped fingers shining in the light. “Paige Oliver, SHIELD Agent.” 

Palm slightly clammy, Ned’s fingers twitched as they shook hands. “Paige,” the teen whispered, awestruck, before catching himself. “I mean, um, Oliver?” His cheeks flushed a little and he cursed himself and pulled his hand back. How was he supposed to address her? He had not been prepared to be working with a girl, much less one as pretty as this agent was. She couldn’t be that much older than him, probably an older teen, but only 25 at most. Fuck. “I’m uh, I’m Ned. Guy in the chair.” 

Paige grinned at him, dark eyes lighting up behind her lenses. “Welcome to the team.”

Fury just rolled his eye with a huff as he waved a hand through the air. “If you two are finished- Oliver, catch him up to speed.”

***

Peter looked up from his notebook when he heard footsteps padding across the carpet of the sitting area. His eyes burned slightly and he couldn’t help but wonder just how long he’d been working. It was hard to keep track of time in the illusion. “Hey T,” he smiled, running a hand through his hair as he looked back at Tony.

“Hi yourself,” the older man replied, looking rather cozy in his sweatpants and t-shirt as he sat down on the couch beside his fiancé. His arm wrapped around Peter’s shoulders and he pressed a quick kiss to his temple. “Whatcha workin on? Wedding stuff?”

Peter sighed, snuggling into the embrace. It was so nice to just be held. “How’d you guess?” Like it hadn’t been all he’d been working on since the proposal. 

Tony chuckled. “You get this little wrinkle- right here,” he poked the middle of Peter’s forehead before smoothing the pad of his finger over the area. “Means you’re focused too hard on something.” 

Letting out a little huff of a laugh, the teen let himself relax a bit more, head falling to rest on Tony’s shoulder. He liked how the man picked up on some of his body language or little quirks. “Yeah, some of this is just- it’s taking a lot more work than I thought it would.” 

The billionaire made a soft noise. “Anything I can help with, baby? You know I don’t mind.” 

Peter shook his head. “No, I… It’s okay, thank you, though. I really wanna do this- wanna surprise you, y'know?”

“Well, how about I-” Whatever Tony was beginning to say was cut off by the sound of Peter’s stomach growling. _Loudly_. He laughed before continuing, “How about I go get started on some lunch? You keep working, and I’ll call you when it’s ready, okay?” 

“That sounds amazing, Tony, thank you.” 

“Of course. Love you.”

“I love you too.” Opening the notebook back up once he could hear Tony banging around in the kitchen, Peter stared at his next task, one he’d been avoiding: the guest list. The blank guest list. 

Other than himself and Tony, there were only a few people that he wanted there. He wanted his family to be there to see him get married, to see him finally get his happy ending. 

Too bad everyone he’d ever loved was dead. (Except for May, but- He didn’t want to think about that.)

But...maybe he could bring them back. Just like he’d done with his new fiancé. 

Just the thought made his heart beat faster in his chest, the possibility of seeing them all again. Uncle Ben. Fuck, his mom and dad. He’d give anything to hold them, to see their smiles and hear their laughter-

Before really even thinking about it, his pen was flying across the page. _Mom. Dad. Ben. May._

He paused after the last one. He felt- Was it wrong to bring May back? She wasn’t really _gone_ , not in the same way that the others were. She was just- missing. Fuck, he missed her so much. But maybe this was something he would have to do without her. Tears stung his eyes as he crossed her name out with a shaking hand. 

_Mom. Dad. Ben._

No. It looked incomplete with one of the most important people in his world missing. Wiping the tears away, Peter started writing again.

_Mom. Dad. Ben. May._

***

“Have you guys tried to access EDITH?” When no one responded, instead just looked at him blankly, he furiously began flicking through the holograms in front of him, looking back and forth between it and his laptop. “Okay so EDITH is this really cool AI that Mr. Stark-”

Fury was quick to interrupt. He was doing his best to make sure there was no more rambling than was truly necessary. “We know about the tech, Leeds. But what reason would Parker have for creating illusions or utilizing the world’s most powerful armed-drone weapons system?”

“Look,” Ned sighed, fiddling with a pen. It made him feel weird, talking about Peter like this. “I know Peter. Probably better than almost anyone else. He...never really dealt with Mr. Stark’s death, and all of that stuff that happened in Europe with that Mysterio guy really didn’t help. Add in him being outed as Spider-Man?” He’d done a lot of thinking about this. And if he was honest with himself, he’d kind of known what was going on as soon as he knew his best friend had gone missing. 

He desperately wanted to be wrong, but he knew that he wasn’t. 

The young man shook himself out of his thoughts and continued. “He’s...hiding. He doesn’t want to be found because, well- Everything’s gone wrong here, for him. So he’s gone somewhere where nothing can go wrong.” His words only served to further convince himself as he said them out loud for the first time. 

Nick stared at the teenager. “You’re telling me that Parker is creating his own alternate reality where everything is sunshine and fucking rainbows? He’s running around making daisy chains?” 

Paige’s brows were furrowed as she tapped the cap of her pen on the table. “It’s a fairly normal and reasonable reaction, actually. Healthy, in some circumstances, though I’m not sure about this one. Mr. Leeds is right, Mr. Parker has dealt with extreme levels of trauma recently, and he’s most likely gone untreated if he’s anything like his older counterparts. He’s attempting to protect himself.” 

Rolling his eyes, Fury turned his attention from the young agent back to their new ‘consultant’. Lord help him. “So you think he’s out there, unsupervised and unstable, with a multimillion dollar piece of Stark tech? Great. How do we find him, Einstein?” 

Ned began typing furiously on his laptop. “Well, uh, I kinda already tried? I asked Paige, I mean- Agent Oliver, sorry, for access to SHIELD’s file on EDITH from last summer. I was able to look at the program logs and analyze their code. Once I figured out what I was working with, I was able to bypass some of the encrypted security features and download the logs up til now.” He frowned a bit, pausing. “I can see that the EDITH program has been in use recently- but the dispatch data for the drones… The location is scrambled.” 

“So what you’re saying is we still don’t know where he is.” Paige’s voice was slightly amused.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” The director’s most definitely was not.

“Hey, we might not know where he is, but we can at least get in contact with him now. Well- hopefully. Maybe. Since I was able to access EDITH’s archives and- basically, I think I can hack deeper into her programming and alter Peter’s illusions remotely.” 

He thought back to the footage he had seen when he’d cautiously (read: uneasily- there had been things he’d never wanted to witness his best friend doing) made his way through the most recent files in EDITH’s archives in order to make sure Peter was indeed the one using the tech. And he definitely was. There was a lot to unpack there, especially considering the amount of time Peter was spending wearing the glasses. 

But he was thinking specifically about the way Peter had written May’s name down on the notebook page titled “Guest List” before scratching it out, then repeated the whole process all over again several times. 

This was definitely going to hurt his friend, Ned knew. But he also knew that it was for Peter’s own good. Hopefully the other teen would realize that in time, too. 

“I think we should send May Parker in.”

***

Tony and Peter were laying on the couch in the living room, watching TV and cuddling. Or, well, their legs were cuddling. The older man was seated on one side, while Peter was stretched out on the other, their lower limbs entwined with each other under the fluffy throw blanket that the teen had claimed as his own.

Tony pointed his toes, pressing them into the meat of Peter’s thigh. “What’s up, baby? You aren’t even paying attention- this is your favorite show.” He waved his hand through the air, the gesture pausing the program. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he turned to study the young man’s face. “You look...anxious, Pete. What is it?”

Quickly trying to school his facial expression into something more neutral, Peter made eye contact with Tony for a second before directing his gaze to the giant flatscreen in front of them. “I’m fine,” he said softly. “Just thinking, y'know? Sorry for getting distracted,” he trailed off as Tony started the show back up again.

He had made up his mind about bringing his family back. He missed them and wanted to spend time with them, share this part of his life. There was no reason not to; it wouldn't hurt anyone.

Anyone other than Peter, that was. But he’d already worked on coming to terms with that. 

So he was starting to second-guess himself. What would happen when it was time to say goodbye? Could he handle that? 

Or- actually, he never got to say goodbye to them in the first place. His parents had died miles away from him. He'd been young enough that he couldn't really remember them dropping him off with his aunt and uncle when they left for their trip. He hadn't been with Ben when he was murdered. Maybe this time he could finally get the closure he so desperately needed, on his own terms. 

This would help him in the long run, he was sure of it. The whole thing would.

With his mind now made up, Peter reached his arm out to grab at Tony's hand, which squeezed his comfortingly. He watched the action on the screen without really following what was happening, debating the best way to move forward. 

Peter took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing for a moment. 

Then the elevator gave a soft ‘ding’ behind them, and FRIDAY’s gentle voice rang out through the penthouse, signalling that someone was on their way up. 

Peter felt like all the tension he’d been holding in his body released at that moment. He was ready. 

Tony, however, jumped a bit in surprise, the sudden interruption pulling his attention away from the TV, and turned to look at Peter with a confused look on his face. “Who- Are we expecting someone, Pete? Did you order pizza or something?” Waving his hand again, the program paused once more. 

A nervous chuckle escaped Peter’s lips as he wiggled his way out from under the blanket. Thankfully the AI hadn’t mentioned exactly who was on their way up. “Or something,” he said, pushing himself off the couch. He walked up the two little steps to the main area of the penthouse, stopping a few feet from the elevator. The LED screen above the door indicated that it would be arriving momentarily, only two floors away. 

The older man slowly made his way towards the teen. “Peter?” He sounded a bit anxious too, feeding off of his partner’s energy.

Shaking his head, Peter shot Tony a quick smile, one that he hoped was reassuring. He thought he’d had more of a grip on his emotions, at least from the other’s point of view. He would have to do better, couldn’t let his control slip so easily. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. Just- There’s some-”

Another ding, this one a bit louder, and the doors opened. 

“Peter?”

Tears immediately welled up in the young man’s eyes when he heard the voice say his name. A sob erupted from his mouth as he brought his shaking hands up in an attempt to muffle it. “ _Mom_ ,” he cried, barely even glancing at her before he was all but running into the arms that hadn’t held him in over a decade. “Mama- I-”

Mary ran her hand through her son’s curls, pulling him close to her chest. “Oh, Petey, it’s okay. It’s okay, baby, I’m right here.” She hummed softly, squeezing him tighter. 

Peter shook his head, forehead digging into his mother’s collarbone. He didn’t want to let go, never wanted to let her go ever again. He felt like he was back to being six years old. She still smelled the same, like honey and vanilla. Like safety and home. “Missed you, missed you so much-”

Richard laughed softly from his place beside his wife once his son had started to calm down a little. “And what am I, Pete, chopped liver?” 

“No, of course not,” the teen mumbled, turning his head to smile shakily at the man. One of his hands came up to wipe some of the tears away while the other stayed clutched around the fabric of Mary’s sweater. “But you’re not Mom.”

His father only laughed some more, moving to wrap his arms around them both. “It’s good to see you, bud. We’ve missed you something awful. Look how big you’ve gotten.” 

“I’ll say!” Ben's exclamation made another choked sound bubble up from his nephew's lungs. His warm, booming voice broadcasted his happiness as much as the grin on his face. “Not a rugrat anymore, are ya champ?” 

"Hi Uncle Ben," Peter said through more tears, overwhelmed at the sight of the man he'd grown to love as much as his own father. 

After a moment and a few more pleasantries, the group started to move towards the sitting area, and Peter didn’t stray far from them, content with letting himself be enveloped by all the love he’d missed for so long, even as he heard Tony begin introducing himself to everyone. 

But someone was still missing. He glanced behind his family in the direction of the elevator, trying to focus again. 

May was supposed to be there too. She had to be, he couldn’t do this without her. 

***

“Dammit, Leeds, patch her through,” Fury urged impatiently, closely watching the screen where they could see the illusion playing out in real time. 

Ned winced in response, switching around a bit of the coding in what he hoped would be the last step. He hadn’t really had enough time to perfectly add any more tech to the program, but even his minor modifications would be helpful. They needed anything they could get in order to try and get through to Peter. 

Hopefully his attempt would work. 

He turned to look at May, who was watching everything with wide eyes. "You ready, May?"

And for a second, she didn't know how to answer that. The woman wasn’t so sure about getting involved with SHIELD, but she was desperate to have Peter back. She wasn’t sure what was going on with him. Things had been weird ever since Tony Stark died- well, weirder than the new normal of her teenage nephew moonlighting as a superhero. So there wasn’t any hesitation on her part when she agreed to going into his illusion. 

It seemed complicated, but maybe that was just because she hadn’t ever been very into technology. Anything other than her phone seemed to be beyond her understanding.

Ned had managed to get an old virtual reality headset semi-patched into the EDITH program. In theory, it would allow May to see and participate in the illusion that Peter was living. And the hope was that he’d just think she was part of it until she could get to him. Then she could talk some sense into him and convince him to come home where he belonged. 

“Alright May, here we go,” the teen spoke up again despite her silence, eyes back on his computer screen. “Anything coming up yet?”

May sighed and shifted her position in the chair, about ready to pull the stupid headset off. She knew that she probably looked pretty ridiculous to everyone else in the room. And for what? All she saw was a black screen, mocking her with its emptiness. “No. Nothing. It’s just-“

Suddenly there was a flicker of light that turned into a hazy mess of colors- It almost looked like what she saw without her glasses. “Wait, I think I might have something!”

A hush took over the room as all eyes were on May, everyone waiting with bated breath to see if their efforts would be successful. 

“Remember what we discussed earlier, you have to act like you’re part of his world. He can’t know that you’re actually you yet. It is imperative that you assimilate into his alternate reality,” Paige said from where she was standing across the room, watching as the older woman began to turn her head about, clearly trying to explore her surroundings. “We might only have one shot at this!” 

May took a deep breath and nodded. Yeah, no pressure. She definitely remembered. She had been instructed to keep her feelings in check until they either got Peter to shut the whole thing down or they learned his location. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t act differently than how Peter expected her to in the scene he’d set. Which was going to be- challenging, to say the least. Because she definitely had a lot of feelings about this whole situation going on between him and Mr. Stark.

Ned’s hands flew across the keys, his whole focus on successfully getting May into the illusion and to Peter. He had to save his best friend. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself, otherwise.

The whole picture slowly came to life before May’s eyes, blurred blobs sharpening into recognizable objects, and she could no longer hear the commotion of the people around her. All she heard was- 

She heard the sound of Ben's laughter, mingling with the voices of Richie and Mary, and her heart somehow sank to her stomach and jumped up into her throat at the same time.

He’d really brought them all back. 

***

The elevator dinged once more, the missing piece to Peter’s puzzle walking out with a gentle smile on her face as she looked around the open layout apartment. May made eye contact with Peter and her face immediately lit up. “Oh, Peter. Hi baby, it’s so good to see you.” 

Peter’s own eyes widened, and he grinned as he took a step towards her. He heard his uncle cry out happily behind him, “There you are, May! What’d you do, get lost?” At the same time, the hair on his arms stood on end and a shiver ran down his spine. And huh- he must’ve missed his aunt even more than he thought, in order to be excited enough for this type of-

With a gasp and a panicked cry, Peter’s eyes flew open as he fumbled with the glasses until they went flying from his face. The sound of them hitting the padded floor vaguely registered in his mind. He turned his head left and right frantically, while simultaneously springing to his feet and leaping up into the corner where the ceiling met the wall. 

His heart was racing in his chest and thudding in his ears as his eyes darted around the room, trying to locate the threat that his extra sense was picking up on. (He refused to call it the Peter-Tingle on principle.) 

It was silent for five minutes as he sat there, shaking and blinking back tears. Nothing had happened- Karen said there were no other heat signatures within a 70 mile radius. There was obviously no threat but- What the _fuck_ was that?

His spidey-sense had been haywire for a while, yeah, ever since he came back after the Blip. But it was always a case of them not alerting him to potential threats, never had they been overactive like that, unnecessarily hyper-vigilant.

Maybe it was all the stress finally catching up with him. 

Trying to control his breathing, Peter let himself drop down to the floor, landing in a crouch. He stood up and slowly made his way over to the gym mats he had been lounging on. The teen spun around in a circle once he reached them, searching the ground for the blue-framed lenses. 

They weren’t too far away so he retrieved them in a couple steps and ran his finger over the dark glass. There didn’t seem to be any damage, thankfully. He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to the glasses. They were the only good thing he had left. 

Tucking back into his prior position, Peter curled up on the cushioned surface. After looking around a few more times, listening as hard as he could, he sighed and placed the glasses back on his face. 

He had a family to get back to, and he didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer than he already had.


End file.
